REVIEW: "Swarm"
This "episode" was interesting. Byrne made good use of all seven main characters, but especially good use of McCoy and Scotty. This "bottle" show's focus was primarily on Spock and McCoy, and their connection to the antagonists in the story.
The antagonists were really not "heavies"; they had a mission, just like the Enterprise. The mystery surrounds what kind of mission, and what was their objective?
Once again, JB knows the "voices" of the performers. You can literally "hear" the actors' voices in your head as you read the dialog. Great fun!
Visually, the alien vessels, while nondescript, were wholly original. The "supernova" visuals were superb, and something that would've been impossible on TOS' budget in the '60's.
It was fun to see the hangar deck, and characters walking around in it; enjoyed seeing JB's rendering of Engineering put to good use. I noticed some Bridge scenes also took advantage of JB's Bridge background render, but they were subtle enough that unless you were looking for them you wouldn't notice.
The McCoy-Spock banter, as usual, sparkled. Even Scotty got a few zingers: "knickers in a twist". Again, JB got the "performances" spot on.
Overall, "Swarm" was a solid effort, with some interesting insight into the nature of other "species".
Recommended.
This "episode" was interesting. Byrne made good use of all seven main characters, but especially good use of McCoy and Scotty. This "bottle" show's focus was primarily on Spock and McCoy, and their connection to the antagonists in the story.
The antagonists were really not "heavies"; they had a mission, just like the Enterprise. The mystery surrounds what kind of mission, and what was their objective?
Once again, JB knows the "voices" of the performers. You can literally "hear" the actors' voices in your head as you read the dialog. Great fun!
Visually, the alien vessels, while nondescript, were wholly original. The "supernova" visuals were superb, and something that would've been impossible on TOS' budget in the '60's.
It was fun to see the hangar deck, and characters walking around in it; enjoyed seeing JB's rendering of Engineering put to good use. I noticed some Bridge scenes also took advantage of JB's Bridge background render, but they were subtle enough that unless you were looking for them you wouldn't notice.
The McCoy-Spock banter, as usual, sparkled. Even Scotty got a few zingers: "knickers in a twist". Again, JB got the "performances" spot on.
Overall, "Swarm" was a solid effort, with some interesting insight into the nature of other "species".
Recommended.
Wow it's only an 8 page issue? That's dissapointing. Probably would have made some people think twice about letting that perk effect the size of their donation.
